A Rare Case of Periprosthetic Fracture with Fracture of Femoral Stem around a Bipolar Hemiarthroplasty

The incidence of periprosthetic fractures (PPF) around a total hip arthroplasty continues to increase with the rise in number of arthroplasties performed. However, fracture of the femoral stem has become very rare since the development of modern prosthetic designs. We present a rare case of an 80-year-old man who sustained a periprosthetic femur fracture with a fracture of the femoral stem component around a bipolar hemiarthroplasty. This man sustained a Vancouver type B1 periprosthetic femur fracture with a fracture of the femoral stem component around a fully cemented bipolar hemiarthroplasty done 10 years back. This patient was treated with removal of the broken femoral stem and osteosynthesis with a plate and cerclage wire plus revision to a longer stem prosthesis. PPF with a fracture of the femoral stem around a hemiarthroplasty is a rare and uncommon occurrence. A combination of osteosynthesis with revision arthroplasty with a longer stem proved to be a suitable treatment with satisfactory results. However, regular follow-ups post-arthroplasties are advocated to identify complications at an earlier stage.